United States

On the Limitations—and Unanswered Questions—of Housing Research

Limitations of data collection mean many questions about housing consumption simply cannot be answered.

July 23, 2015 - Housing Perspectives

New App from the U.S. EPA Maps Environmental Justice

A publicly available web tool allows access to maps that overlay environmental impacts and the populations they impact (or the populations that manage to avoid such impacts, for that matter).

July 23, 2015 - Smithsonian Magazine

Democrats Object to 'Bipartisan' Senate Transportation Reauthorization Bill

We look at what happened in the Senate on Tuesday when the six-year DRIVE Act, relying on a variety of non-user fee revenue mechanisms to finance the Highway Trust Fund shortfall for three years, failed a procedural vote, and where it goes next.

July 23, 2015 - The Washington Post

Vacant Mixed Use Ground Floor

When Mixed Use Goes Too Far

A recent op-ed by ULI Foundation Governor and developer John McNellis argues that too many cities are forcing mixed-use developments into neighborhoods, enabling vacancies and blight in the process.

July 22, 2015 - Urban Land Magazine

Meet the Uber for Kids

With extra layers of security and a pricing model that differs from other transportation network companies, HopSkipDrive is looking to tap into the crucial "busy parents" demographic.

July 21, 2015 - TechCrunch

Shopping Mall

On the Legacy and Unfulfilled Potential of Shopping Malls

The origin story of one of the definitively American typologies—the shopping mall—is one of unintended consequences run amok. Could the next chapter of this story come closer to the author's intention?

July 21, 2015 - Quartz

The Past and Future of Architecture Criticism

How much do the challenges of the built environment require a thoughtful and informed media? What is the role of traditional architecture criticism in the world of aggregators, snark, and armchair urbanists?

July 21, 2015 - Neiman Reports

United States from Space

How Data Privatization Will Change Planning Practice

Planners will be presented with new challenges and opportunities in a new era of data-enhanced government.

July 20, 2015 - Kendra L. Smith and Kevin C. Desouza

House and Senate Republicans Differ on Must-Pass Transportation Funding Bills

The House passed their patch bill on July 15—it's now the Senate's turn at bat on highway funding. Both houses are controlled by Republicans but they appear to be pitching for different teams. A bill must pass by July 31 or road funding ceases.

July 20, 2015 - New York Times

Citi Bike Tackles Biking's Gender Gap

New York City's bike share program, Citi Bike, enjoys a greater percentage of female cyclists that the city as a whole, but still only reaches 25 percent. The problem is typical of bike share programs in the United States.

July 20, 2015 - The New York Times N.Y. / Region

The 'Unlikely Source' of Hope for Affordable Housing: the Private Sector

The chair of the Community Development Trust makes the case for the new potential of private sector investments in affordable housing.

July 18, 2015 - American Banker

5 Resilience Plans for the 21st Century

Resilience is one of the hottest buzzwords in contemporary planning, and planners in communities around the country are only beginning to realize the multiple benefits of the attention and funding devoted to resilience plans.

July 18, 2015 - APA Policy News

Ranking All 50 of Washington, D.C.'s State Avenues

Route Fifty created a ranking system to judge the "gravitas" of each of the avenues in the nation's capital named after the 50 states in the Union.

July 18, 2015 - Route Fifty

Seattle's Alleys Getting a Face-Lift

Since 2010, planners, designers, and community members have been actively transforming Seattle's alleys into beloved places within the city's urban fabric.

July 17, 2015 - The Seattle Times

Friday Eye Candy: Map Shows Every Job in the United States

Looking for granular illustrations of the details of local economies? Look no further.

July 17, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Cincinnati Stadium Riverfront

Friday Funny: John Oliver's Takedown of Public Money for Professional Sports Stadiums

HBO's John Oliver wants cities to do one thing when professional sports teams come asking for public money to build new stadiums: "Make them pay!"

July 17, 2015 - The Washington Post

It's Patch Bill Time Again for Highway Funding

Though federal highway funding is set to terminate on July 31, the House has proposed an $8.1 billion, five-month extension instead of a six-year reauthorization bill.

July 16, 2015 - Bloomberg Business

Op-Ed: Recent Fair Housing Decisions Could Boost Republicans

A New York Times op-ed predicts that recent changes to Fair Housing could prompt unintended consequences—such as new support for the Republican Party among middle class white populations.

July 16, 2015 - The New York Times

21,000 Miles Later: The History of Rails-to-Trails

CityLab presents a feature extravaganza about the nation's 21,000-mile-long network of trails converted from former rail lines.

July 15, 2015 - CityLab

President Obama Designates Three New National Monuments

President Barack Obama once again called upon the Antiquities Act to further his legacy as a champion of public lands. A famous example of land art will gain protection under the action.

July 15, 2015 - The Washington Post

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.